With Eyes of Green
by Aurora Borialis
Summary: Elizabeth and Archer, two friends of the Salamander clan, long to escape their meaningless lives, especially Eliza. But a ray of hope gleams through when she discovers a bottle on the beach with a message which will change her life forever.
1. Chapter 1

With Eyes of Green

Chapter One: The Message in a Bottle

Elizabeth walked along the golden sand, her bottle green eyes fixed intently downwards, the cruel wind whipping through her ebony locks. Suddenly, she bent down and picked up a small blue shell and quickly added it on to a string of them that she was carrying. Elizabeth sighed. She was making a necklace to wear to the Salamander Ball, a tradition that her people had had for centuries. At the ball, in two weeks from now, she would officially become part of the clan, and would then be able to carry out her duties of getting married and raising a family. Elizabeth was fifteen; she did not yet want a family. There was so much in the world that she had not yet experienced, and the chances of her finding a husband who was happy for her to go gallivanting off on adventures were very slim

All of a sudden, a glint on the sand caught her eye. She bent down for a closer look, and observed that it seemed to be a piece of glass stuck in the sand. As Elizabeth started to dig it out, she realised that it was bigger than she expected. When she finally pulled it free of the sand, she saw that it was a bottle, with a cork fixed in the top.

'Eliza!' the cry shattered Elizabeth's thoughts as she turned to see her friend Archer running down the beach. Without knowing why, she quickly pushed the bottle into her bag. 'Your Mother wants to see you,' Archer panted when he reached her, 'She says it's urgent.' Elizabeth sighed. Her mother was going through a stage where she thought that she had to govern everything that Eliza did. It was getting exceedingly irritating.

'I suppose we'd better not keep her waiting,' Eliza said 'we know what can happen if we do that.' they both laughed. They knew how frustrated she could get when Hope disregarded her wishes. The fact that Eliza did it often didn't seem to help this.

When Elizabeth got home, she found her mother was sitting in the living room with a slick-haired man, laughing and talking.

'Ah, Elizabeth, darling,' her mother cried when Eliza entered, 'there's someone here that I would like you to meet.' The man stood up and looked Eliza up and down, an act which made her feel very uncomfortable. 'This is Mr Harkshaw.'

'I am glad to finally meet you, Elizabeth. We have just been talking about you. I see now that your mother was just being modest when she spoke of your unsurpassable beauty.' said Mr Harkshaw with a voice as greasy as his hair. She looked at him incredulously; not believing that anyone could think that a line like that would actually work. He extended his hand, but Eliza didn't move. She threw a glare at her mother and then ran upstairs to her room.

Eliza lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. How could her mother have done that? Eliza was barely eligible for marriage and all ready her mother was selecting her husband. And the fact that he was about 25 years older than her didn't help. She didn't plan to be married for many years, and would only ever do so if she was in love. How dare her mother, to try and run her life like that!

'I will never marry anyone my mother likes!' declared Eliza, 'That's final.'

Feeling like she needed to get out, she grabbed her bag, jumped up to her window and slid down the wisteria branch that hung outside. She wasn't afraid as she had been using this as a means to get out since she was three. It was very convenient, as her mother still hadn't discovered it, and never even realised that Eliza was gone.

'How'd it go?' asked Archer who was waiting for her at the bottom, 'You're out early this time.'

'It was horrible.' Eliza replied, 'She's trying to marry me off to some dinosaur.'

Archer laughed, 'She'll need luck if she's trying to get you to do anything you don't want to.'

'True.' Agreed Eliza with a mischievous smile

Elizabeth and Archer had been best friends since they were born. This was mostly because their mothers had been best friends when they were born, but that didn't bother them. Neither of them had any brothers or sisters, but they were never lonely, as they had each other. When they were little, they were inseparable and were always getting into trouble, but now they were older, it was thought improper for them to spend so much time together. This rarely stopped them, however.

'Got a dress to wear to the Salamander Ball yet?' asked Archer as they started walking in the direction of the beach.

'Not yet. I'm letting Mother choose one. I wouldn't ordinarily, but she'll most likely choose something hideous, and maybe then no one will want to marry me.'

'It's highly unlikely that that's going to work.'

'I know, but if it doesn't, we can always sail away to another world and never get married.' said Eliza with a grin.

'Well it's nice to know that I have options.' replied Archer as they flopped down on the sand.

As Eliza let her bag fall, something fell out. It was the bottle that she had found earlier.

'What's this?' asked Archer, picking it up.

'I don't know,' Eliza confessed, 'I found it on the beach today.'

Archer held it up to the light, 'It looks like there's something in there.'

He passed the bottle to Eliza who pulled out the rotting cork that was fixed in the top. She tipped the bottle upside-down and out fell a tightly rolled piece of paper, fastened with a piece of old string. A message in a bottle.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

With trembling fingers, Elizabeth slid the string from the scroll. She had been waiting all her life for this; something exciting, something life changing, _something_. She knew that this was the moment; that in the future she would look back and know that this day was a crucial one that would influence the course of her life. She shared a glance of nervous anticipation with Archer, as slowly she unrolled the scroll and read the message that was printed in glittering letters on its smooth surface.

_Greetings, reader from over sea_

_In this note, a proposition I have for thee,_

_A quest there is and warning to,_

_For, heed me not and find will you_

_That life will rapidly transform_

_And you will long soon for the norm;_

_You wonder, now, of what I speak_

_Read below and find what I seek,_

_An orb that breathes with furtive breath_

_Shall bring about the close of death,_

_Naught shall die, but have a care,_

_Think of what this curse shall bear,_

_No food shall Mother Nature give_

_So forever hungry shalt thou live;_

_The mortally wounded weep in pain_

_But their anguished cries are all in vain,_

_For no sweet release of death will near_

_Until you, reader, ignoring fear,_

_Travel to these distant lands,_

_Where monsters prowl with robber bands;_

_Seek me out in Golden Tower_

_And bring me the everlasting power_

_That dwells within your heart and soul_

_And binds to make you one and whole_

_Yes, dear reader, you have guessed_

_It is _love_ I seek above all the rest._

_I see in your eyes a curious look_

_Wondering how this precious thing can be took_

_I shall give you a sign to point the way_

_To keep the evil forces at bay:_

_I spoke of orb with secret breath,_

_Well, bring me that and welcome death._

Eliza and Archer sat in silence for about a minute after finishing the message, just soaking it all in.

'Great Leros!' breathed Archer finally, 'Do you think it's true?'

'No.' said Elizabeth, 'It couldn't be. It's probably just someone playing a trick.'

The fact was, now that Elizabeth had read the message, she didn't want to believe it. The very thought of it scared her. She had wanted excitement, but the thought of so much pain stole the enthusiasm and replaced it with foreboding.

'Hey, look. There's something else in here.' Archer said, picking up the discarded bottle. He tipped it gently upside down and a small, round object fell onto the sand. Eliza picked it up and dusted it off lightly. It appeared to be a pendant of some sort, set with a white stone that shone like the moon. 'Do you reckon this could be the orb the poem spoke of?' Archer asked eagerly.

'It wouldn't make any sense.' Eliza replied with a look of grave curiosity, 'Why would he ask us to bring him something, and then send it away with the message.'

'Yeah, I suppose.' Archer looked disappointed, 'But what if it is true? What if there really is a spell on us to stop death?'

'Well, then we should know within the next few days.' Eliza replied seriously, 'But don't worry,' she added, seeing his nervous expression, 'Chances are it's nothing, and we will just go back to our normal lives.'

But even as she spoke these words, she knew them to be lies. Something about the threat in the poem, the sly shimmer of the words, lead her to believe that their lives would never be normal again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Awakened

Despite these feelings, the next few days passed without change or event and numbers were crossed off calendars as the Salamander Ball drew ever closer. The whole town was in uproar, purchasing dresses, and gossiping about who was going to attend and what they would be wearing. Finally the afternoon of the Ball came and Elizabeth was putting on her dress.

'What do you think?' she asked sceptically as Archer turned to look at her.

'Wow!' he replied, an admiring smile across his face, 'You look amazing.'

She sighed, 'It's a shame. Once again my mother has failed her only purpose of making me as unappealing as possible.'

They laughed and Eliza turned to look at herself in the mirror again. The dress was a deep emerald to match her eyes, with a gentle V-shaped neckline, a low back and a sweeping train behind her. She had swept up her hair with a single white lily, a large contrast to her jet curls.

'What necklace are you going to wear?' asked Archer

'I don't know,' Eliza replied, 'I didn't have time to buy one.'

'Elizabeth!' her mother shrieked from downstairs, 'It's time to go; we're going to be late!'

'Oh well, no time now.' Said Archer as he left the room, followed by Eliza.

However, as Eliza reached the bottom of the stairs, she was greeted by her mother's horrified shriek,

'What are you thinking, girl? Where's your jewellery? What will Mr Harkshaw think of you? Quick, go grab it.'

Spluttering useless protests, Elizabeth was driven back up the stairs and left to find something where nothing was. She was desperately searching her draws and shelves for even just the simplest chain when her eye fell on the moon pendant that sat on her bedside table. Driven by an exasperated cry from her mother downstairs, Eliza grabbed the pendant and fastened its slender silver chain round her neck.

'There now, that's better.' Her mother remarked lovingly as her daughter appeared from upstairs, 'Where did you get that, dear?'

'Oh, it's just something I picked up at the market.' Eliza mumbled ignoring Archer's startled gaze.

They made their way to the coach awaiting them outside and climbed in.

'This dress is impossible.' Elizabeth grumbled as she struggled to pile her train on the floor. Archer said nothing. They arrived at the ball with much splendour and presence. The governor's house had truly been transformed. Velvet curtains had been hung and a sumptuous banquet had been laid out. All the surrounding young ladies commented upon the loveliness of Eliza's dress, and all the old ones commented upon the steadily increasing weight of her mother. Embarrassed by this, Eliza grabbed Archer's arm and headed for a deserted corner, while her mother went off to see if Mr Harkshaw was present. However as soon as they were out of earshot, Archer turned to Elizabeth angrily,

'What do you think you're doing, wearing that thing?'

'I couldn't find anything else.' Eliza replied defensively, shocked by the harshness of his words.

'Do you want people to ask questions about it? They will want to know where it came from.'

'Well I'll just tell them the same thing I told my mother then.'

He sighed, 'Alright then. But be careful.'

'What do you think I would do,' she said, a mischievous smile coming to her face, 'tell everyone we're haunted?'

However, distracted by the commotion and colour, they did not notice the soft ebbing glow that the orb now gave of, nor did they hear the subtle sighs that seemed to come from nowhere.


End file.
